A sunroof apparatus in the related art is disclosed in JP 2011-93471A (Reference 1) (refer to paragraphs [0028] and [0029] and FIGS. 2 and 6). The sunroof apparatus includes a shielding body (side garnish), of which an upper end side is attached to each edge portion of a movable panel, which opens and closes an opening formed in a roof of a vehicle, in a width direction of the vehicle, and of which a lower end side is slidably engaged with a long guide portion disposed in each edge portion of the opening in the width direction of the vehicle. The shielding body shields an operation mechanism of the sunroof apparatus from a vehicle interior side. During an opening and closing operation of the movable panel, the shielding body is moved together with the movable panel while being slid against the guide portion.
FIGS. 8A and 8B are sectional views illustrating the structure of attachment between the upper end side of the shielding body and each edge portion of the movable panel in the width direction of the vehicle according to Reference 1. As illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B, an attachment panel 93 is fixed to a lower surface of a movable panel 91, and includes a flange 92 extending toward an interior side in the width direction in each edge portion in the width direction of the vehicle. A cut and lifted piece 94 is formed in the flange 92 such that the cut and lifted piece 94 is cut and lifted obliquely upward from an interior side portion of the flange 92 in the width direction of the vehicle.
In contrast, an upper end portion of a shielding body 95 includes a pair of interposing pieces 96 and 97 which extend toward an exterior side in the width direction of the vehicle and between which the flange 92 is interposed in a height direction of the vehicle. A retaining claw 98 is formed at a tip end (exterior side end in the width direction of the vehicle) of one side interposing piece 96 positioned on an upper side in the height direction of the vehicle such that the retaining claw 98 protrudes downward in the height direction of the vehicle and is latched onto a tip end surface (exterior side end surface in the width direction of the vehicle) 94a of the cut and lifted piece 94.
Since the flange 92 is interposed between both the interposing pieces 96 and 97 in the height direction of the vehicle, and the retaining claw 98 is latched onto the tip end surface 94a of the cut and lifted piece 94, the upper end portion of the shielding body 95 is retained by and fixed to the flange 92.
A gap C is formed between both the interposing pieces 96 and 97 and the flange 92 due to a variation in the accuracy of components. For this reason, if the attachment posture is changed, for example, during a tilt-up operation of the movable panel 91, as illustrated in FIG. 8B, a latch allowance between the tip end surface 94a of the cut and lifted piece 94 and the retaining claw 98 in the height direction of the vehicle is reduced, and the upper end portion of the shielding body 95 may be dislocated from the flange 92.